The Future of Consumerist

Over the last twelve years, Consumerist has been a steadfast proponent and voice on behalf of consumers, from exposing shady practices by secretive cable companies to pushing for action against dodgy payday lenders. Now, we’re joining forces with Consumer Reports, our parent organization, to cultivate the next generation of consumer advocacy.

Stay tuned as Consumerist’s current and future content finds its home as a part of the Consumer Reports brand. In the meantime, you can access existing Consumerist content below, and we encourage you to visit Consumer Reports to read the latest consumer news.

Food-borne illness outbreaks are often tied to fresh foods — unwashed raw vegetables, tainted undercooked meat, raw dairy products — but not the neon yellow nacho cheese sauce you’d get at a movie theater or convenience store. However, one batch of this processed cheese-like product has been linked to multiple, potentially lethal cases of botulism.

Another three probable cases and one suspect case are also under investigation, reports The Sacramento Bee, with all patients still in the hospital. Officials have since temporarily revoked the gas station’s permit to sell food and drink.

The family of one of those confirmed cases is now suing the gas station, claiming negligence, product liability, and breach of implied warranty, the Bee reports.

Her family says she picked up a bag of Doritos at the gas station on April 21 on her way home from work, and drizzled them with cheese sauce. Her partner says that within hours she felt fatigued, and complained of double vision the next morning. She went to the hospital, but was sent home. Hours later she was throwing up and had a hard time breathing, so she went back to the emergency room.

She was put on a ventilator the next day and admitted to the intensive care unit, where she remains. The neurotoxins have left her unable to open her eyes or speak.

“Only human mistakes create the environment for botulinum toxin to form,” her attorney told the Bee. “We will use the lawsuit to learn more about the source of the food product that was contaminated. The source of the food product may be unrelated to the gas station; it could be a commercially made, pre-packaged item. That’s an essential question.”